FACTfile - Ferrari F430 Scuderia – Page 2

The 430 Scuderia’s compression ratio has also been increased to 11.88:1, thanks in part to a new piston design. Particular attention was paid to achieving just the right sound from the engine and exhaust as this has always been one of the real trademarks of every Prancing Horse car. Cutting-edge calculation tools were employed to optimise the 430 Scuderia’s intake and exhaust systems and sound damping, with the result that the exhaust and engine sound inside the cabin is clear, powerful and particularly thrilling in full acceleration.

F1-Superfast2 Gearbox

The F1-SuperFast2 is an evolution of the F1 gearbox used on all of Ferrari’s models and reduces gear-shifting times to just 60 ms, the fastest time of any of the models in the Prancing Horse range, the lowest overall of any automated-manual gearbox. Significantly, Ferrari calculates the gear changing time according to the acceleration gap, not just the time it takes to engage the gear.

The various stages are implemented in parallel (non-sequentially). In the case of the F1-SuperFast2, genuinely innovative  integrated engine  and  gearbox  management  programmes  allow  the combined disengaging/engaging of the gears to take place partly in parallel with letting the clutch in and out.

E-Diff2: E-Diff with F1-Trac

The E-Diff2 (which is integrated with the gearbox) is one of the primary components which clearly demonstrate the 430 Scuderia’s links to the track. In use for many years now in Formula 1, it is integrated with the car’s stability control system. The 430 Scuderia is the first high performance road car after the F430 to sport an electronic differential.

Torque is continuously distributed between the wheels via two sets of friction discs (one for each driveshaft) controlled by a hydraulic actuator. The amount of torque actually transmitted to the driven wheels depends on driving conditions and brings considerable advantages in terms of performance, direction stability, active safety and handling feedback. The F1-Trac traction control system, which is also derived from Ferrari’s F1 experience, ensures that even more drivers will be able to extract the maximum performance from the car, thanks to the exceptional cornering, safety and stability it offers.

Introduced for the first time on a road car with the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, it is faster and more precise than a traditional traction control system and optimises traction by modulating power delivery to help maintain the desired vehicle trajectory. The system estimates the maximum available grip thanks to continual monitoring of the relative speed of the wheels. The integrated E-Diff and F1-Trac systems offers 40% more acceleration out of corners than a traditional traction and stability control system.

Racing manettino

The manettino has already featured in several of Ferrari’s road cars but the 430 Scuderia features the special Racing version which puts the emphasis firmly on track-specific sporty driving and provides the driver with even more choice in terms of the car set-up. With this in mind, the ICE setting available with the F430 has been removed and a new CT- (Traction Control Off) setting has been introduced. This deactivates the car’s traction control, but unlike the CST position, retains the safety of the car’s stability control system to ensure a level of safety is maintained.

Another novelty with the 430 Scuderia is a button on the centre console which allows the suspension to be controlled separately from the predefined manettino strategy. This allows the driver can maintain maximum performance even on irregular road surfaces. Michael Schumacher made a particularly valuable contribution to this area of the car’s development.

In fact, he and the car development team worked together to ensure that the 430 Scuderia delivers both exceptional performance and fantastic driving pleasure which is within reach of non-professional drivers.

Brakes

The 430 Scuderia boasts a specific braking system featuring CCM (carbon ceramic material) discs with specific dimensions to cope with the car’s increased performance. The front discs are now 18 mm larger than those on the F430 and are designed to dissipate the extra heat created by the higher performance and are even more hard-wearing for greater efficiency. These components, together with 6-pot calipers, guarantee blistering performance at all times and, equally importantly, consistently efficient braking during prolonged track use.

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Aerodynamics

The 430 Scuderia’s external styling has been honed to improve its aerodynamic efficiency by increasing overall downforce whilst still retaining the same drag values as the F430.

The aerodynamic efficiency of the newly-styled rear diffuser has been enhanced by the addition of a revised profile for spoiler at the rear of the engine cover and by the large venturis that run from the front wheel houses to the rear bumpers, achieving the patented “Base Bleed” effect developed by Ferrari as part of the FXX project. The Base Bleed effect has the double advantage of reducing the pressure in the rear wheel arch, thereby increasing downforce and lowering drag by blowing the car’s “wake”. Furthermore, the new lower sill profiles ensure a more uniform distribution of air over the lower parts to ensure uniform distribution of the vertical load between the front and the rear of the car.

Styling and personalisation

The 430 Scuderia’s ultra-sporty character and blistering performance have led to the redesign of many of its exterior and interior styling features. This was done to give the F430-inspired model its own strong personality and to further enhance the aerodynamics of what is a very extreme car.

The modifications made to the exterior focus on increasing downforce. In-depth research went into reducing the car’s weight and has led to extensive use of carbon-fibre, including some of the bodywork components. The cabin has been inspired by racing and, once again, the emphasis has been on weight reduction and using technical materials where possible. The new “Super Racing” seat boasts an all-carbon-fibre structure and is available in several different sizes as well as being manually adjustable, including a recline adjustment for the seat back.

The Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation programme has also been enhanced to meet the 430 Scuderia’s specific requirements as well. The Racing and Track area, in particular, now offers carbon- fibre kits for the 430 Scuderia to enhance the message that this is a lean, track-focused driver’s car. The headlamp assembly, engine cover, front spoiler, side sill kick panels and diffuser are all available in this high tech material. There is also now a choice of wheel rim colours and a specially designed carbon-fibre helmet is available to order.

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